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Back to School- Tips for Parents

It’s back to school time for students across the United States! The new school year holds much excitement as well as challenges for students, teachers, and students. Today’s post offers some tips to parents of elementary school age children on how to manage and set up a routine to have a successful year.

Communication – Establish communication with your child’s teacher as soon as possible. In today’s internet age, many teachers prefer an e-mail to a phone message. Initiate a parent-teacher conference within the first few weeks of school to discuss your child’s academic progress and how she is adjusting to the new class.

Homework routine – Set up a routine for your child and make sure you are consistent with it. Children need structure to help them build the responsibility they need to complete their assignments.

Staying organized – Label two folders with “stay at home” and “return to school” and place them in a designated area of your home (the kitchen countertop worked well for me). Teach your child to put papers that you need to read and keep at home in the “stay at home” folder and papers that you need to return to school in the other folder.

Stepping stones, not boulders – If or when your child gives you a report with possible distressing news, don’t panic too quickly. It’s likely that something could have been misinterpreted. Don’t let the situation be a boulder, but rather a stepping stone to solidify communication with the teacher and the school.

T.V and electronic games – Limit T.V and electronic games, especially during the week. Provide some form of physical activity/exercise that your child will enjoy. Dancing in the living room or jumping rope on the patio can be fun.

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11 thoughts on “Back to School- Tips for Parents”

Good tips. I could have benefited from the folders. Once I left my homework on the floor and my dog peed on it. My mom actually wrote me a note saying I did my work but the dog, who was blind, thought it was his paper for the night. My teacher gave me a really weird look but didn’t respond.

These are great tips, Elaine! I agree with limiting TV and electronic games. Kids need to get outside and play. I remember when I was young, my mom had to drag me and my sister into the house for dinner.

Back to school is both fun and challenging . These tips are very helpful. My son had an iPad/iPhone games withdrawal the first week. It was funny and a bit hard at the same time. No relapse so far…ha,ha,ha.